Fasting for Fat Loss!

Fasting for Fat Loss & Spiritual Growth

In modern-day church circles, at least in the USA, fasting seems to be an almost dying art.  A mysterious custom from the days of yore, which most if not all Christians don’t practice and may not even understand the concept behind it.

I don’t kid myself to think that I know all there is to fasting, but I thought I’d do a little Bible study on fasting to give you the Biblical perspective of fasting and also give you a brief overview of all the benefits that modern science has determined in recent research.  Turns out God has it right, fasting is good for you. :-)

Biblical Wisdom about Fasting

Isn’t fasting only Old Testament stuff? It’s truly not for people in this day and age, right?

Wrong. There are almost as many references in the New Testament as Old Testament about fasting. Since we take most of our current Christian customs and practices from the New Testament to model the early church…it is absolutely for our day and age.

Why, Biblically, should we fast?

Fasting is a sign of submission to God’s authority and a way to honor him by following his commands. It is a way for us to also humble ourselves before him. James chapter 4 has a great promise that comes as a reward for humbling ourselves. “God will raise (exalt) the humble”.

Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you. James 4:10 ESV

Jesus went without food for 40 days in the desert. So, if you want to know what Jesus would do. If he was around today, he would be praying and fasting.

The early church is also an example for us as they often “prayed & fasted” during important times in the church.

Fasting is absolutely something for the Christian in 2014 and beyond from a Biblical perspective.

How should we fast? It’s a personal one-on-one (secret) expression of your faith and God will reward you.

“And when you fast, do not look gloomy like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, that your fasting may not be seen by others but by your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:16-18 ESV

Why should we fast? To humble ourselves before the Lord. For a sign of repentance when we return to his ways.

When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach. Psalm 69:10 ESV

“Yet even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning; Joel 2:12 ESV

When should we fast? In times of preparation. During times of prayer.  When we are trying to get closer to God. During special times of commitment to God and asking for God’s mercy and blessing.

I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth, nor did I anoint myself at all, for the full three weeks. Daniel 10:3 ESV

And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed. Acts 14:23 ESV

Modern Science Backing the Benefits of Fasting

Why should we fast from a modern science perspective?

Fasting has been researched significantly for many years and some of the findings and positive ramifications it can have for our long-term health is astounding.

I could right volumes of books just going through all the research, but I’ll just ask that before you do any fasting that you research it yourself and absolutely, before you engage in longer-term fasting you consult with your doctor. For the most part, fasting in the Christian Vitality program and Christian Fatloss Program means skipping a meal, or refraining from eating after 8:00pm which is a commonly a held belief and encouraged practice by even the most conservative health practitioner.

For people in their later Christian Fatloss Cycles an option to increase the amount of fat loss is to implement what is commonly called Intermittent Fasting. It is typically refraining from eating for 12+ hours. It’s typically not recommended to fast for longer than 24 hours in most circles, but in VERY recent research it is deemed okay to go longer. Do your research and consult your doctor before doing so.

I implemented Intermittent fasting for 6 out of 7 days for cycles 2 – 5. In cycle 2 I was a little hit and miss, but was able to train my body to adapt to it and consistently, without fail, fasted for 16+ hours for 6 days per week in cycles 3-5.

There are several ways to implement it, that have been proven to be effective, both for increasing health and for increasing fat loss.

Some kinds of fasting can be every other day (called alternate day fasting), every day for short periods, fasting after a workout or exercise to help increase growth hormone production (to keep you young and vital) and variations. A popular one recently was called the 5/2 diet. Where your fasting for a couple of days and ate normally for the others.

The Christian Vitality Diet & Christian Fatloss Program is typically 12 hours or more if you are in later Fatloss Cycles. Some mainstream people would call this a “condensed eating window”. So, that’s the sustainable and practical version of what I did.

Here are just a few of the scientifically documented health benefits of fasting:

  • Longevity: It can help you live longer
  • Blood Lipids: It can help with you bad cholesterol levels.
  • It has been proven to be as or more effective than calorie restriction in overweight women to help repair damage from metabolic syndrome
  • Every other day (alternate day) fasting has been proven to lower LDL-c numbers and also reduce LDL particle size.

Celery cures: Cancer, high-blood pressure, stress, bad cholesterol, acidity, inflammation, weight management, & improves your sex life?

Celery: another miracle with many healing qualities
Celery: another miracle with many healing qualities

This evening I pay homage to Celery my childhood nemesis of sorts.  It’s fine time that I pay a little retribution to a vegetable that I so thoroughly loathed that it was second only to brussel sprouts as a vegetable that I would much rather throw away (or at someone) than put it in my mouth and eat it.

Celery Helps Cure for Cancer: Yep, it has bee proven that the Flavanoids Apigenin & Luteolin (in celery, artichokes, and herbs especially Mexican Oregano) kill human pancreatic cancer cells in the lab by inhibiting the cancer growth.  You can read the details of the studies here and even though you likely couldn’t eat enough celery to cure cancer by itself, the simple fact that the flavanoids in it could do this in high concentrations could be argument enough for you to make this vegetable one of your regulars on the plate.

Celery May Lower Blood Pressure: Phthalides are active organic compounds in Celery that have been proven to increase your circulatory health benefits.  Eating whole (raw) celery can help reduce high blood pressure over time.

Celery May Lowers Stress/Hypertension: Celery is rich in Magnesium (and other minerals) and an essential oil that soothes the nervous system.  Have the late night munchies?  Make a celery snack, it may help lower your stress level and may even help you sleep better at night.

Lower Bad Cholesterol with Celery:  Butylphthalide is one of the chemical constituents in Celery Oil that gives it its aroma and taste.  Studies have shown that it may be useful as a treatment for hypertension and have neuroprotective effect in addition to lowering cholesterol.  A Chicago University research shows that eating two stalks of celery a day can lower your bad cholesterol (LDL) by up to 7 points.

Lower Body Acidity With Alkalizing Celery: In the average modern persons diet, there are many things eaten that can throw our optimum acid/alkaline levels out of balance.  A neutral reading of 7.0 (or slightly higher and alkaline) is optimal.  Eating acidic foods can cause a series of problems in the human body and Celery can offset them with it’s alkaline pH and its alkalizing affect on the body. For more information on how pH can have an impact for weight loss go here.

Celery Can Help You Battle Inflammation:  As we’ve discussed numerous times here before, Inflammation can hinder your weight loss and actually make you gain weight.  If not addressed, it can actually lead to systemic problems with permanent ramifications.  Anything to help combat inflammation is a great addition to your diet. Celery is one of these and may help reduce inflammation in joints, minor infections, asthma, acne, gingivitis or many other inflammations that are holding you back from your weight loss goals.

Celery Can Improve Your Sex Life: This is not an old-wives-tale or urban legend.  Dr. Alan Hirsch, famous for his invention of Sensa (the popular weight loss supplement) and founder of www.smellandtaste.org says that there are two pheromones in celery that can contribute to an increase in arousal: androstenone and androstenol.  They are released when you chew celery and could be a nice addition to your diet to spice up your love life.

Celery Can Help With Weight Management: Whether eaten fresh, with some almond butter, chopped and thrown into salads, cooked up with your other favorite veggies in stir-fry, celery is super low in calories (about 10 calories per stalk) full of fiber and all the other nutrition we’ve spoken about above.

So, make sure celery is on your go-to list of veggies to have on hand at all times. Your body and your weight loss coach will be glad you did.

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Side note: After dealing with a little doldrums this morning I’ve ‘realigned with my reasons why’ and I am back on track.  Praise God for reminding me why I’m on this path and giving me the strength and courage to stay on it. May God also bless you with resilience and perseverance as you stay on your weight loss path.  In Jesus Name, Amen!

If you find yourself in a place of the doldrums in your weight loss program or in your spiritual life, maybe it’s time you also realign with your reasons why? Look around you, God will point them out to you if you ask.

The celery salad I had with dinner helped me too. It’s just some chopped celery with rock salt & virgin olive oil.  A new favorite of mine. Try it. You’ll like it!

Be blessed my friend.

Pastor Dan

P.S. Please comment, share, or like if you find this a blessing to you. Thank you!

Setting the Record Straight About Tomatoes Once & For All!

 

Tomatoes are full of nutrients. Who would of thought you could turn such a simple fruit into such a complicated thing
Tomaytoe vs. Tomotoe

Well, first of all, I bet your wondering what the big controversy is.  There are 2 that we’ll address today, in addition to listing some of the nutritional benefits & reasons why you should be eating these beautiful vegetables (or are they really fruits?).

Ok. The first controversy that I already hinted at,  is whether or not Tomatoes are fruits or vegetables.

Scientifically they are…fruits!  There you have it you can finally with confidence & conviction tell your friends you absolutely know the truth.  If you are a cook and only interested in whether you are working on a savory dish or not, they are most often (by 99% of the Chefs out there) referred to as vegetables.  So, if you want to be scientific, tomatoes are fruits not vegetables.

The second controversy, that has gotten press more recently, is the fact that tomatoes are in a family of fruits (or vegetables) that are called nightshades.  There’s a great article written by my long-time mentor Mark Sisson here if you want his take on it, but basically nightshades are in a family of produce that can cause some minor reactions to a portion of the human population.

So, if you are not one of those people that are technically allergic to nightshades, the benefits outweigh any of the risk of minor reactions that you could have.  If you are not certain whether you do or do not have an issue with them, try a 2-4 week hiatus from them to see if you notice any difference on or off of them. This is admittedly difficult to determine because how can you be certain that it’s not the tomatoes that made you feel funky that day or the Sushi you had with your friends.  If you have any doubt, try a little bio experiment out.

Fresh red tomatoes isolated on white

Assuming you are not allergic to them, here are some great benefits and unknown facts about tomatoes that I think you’ll find valuable and interesting.

  •  Tomatoes are a great source of Lycopene which may help prevent several types of cancer in humans
  • Fun Fact: Studies have found that tomatoes do not have to be dark-red in color to have high levels of Lycopene and researchers have also determined that paler tomatoes (orange & tangerine colored tomatoes) have a form of Lycopene that is easier for our bodies to absorb.  This is definitely counter-intuitive to this certified nutrition counselor.
  • Tomatoes are a great source of numerous antioxidants including Lycopene which have been proven to help prevent bone loss (and osteoporosis) in post-menopausal women.
  • Researchers who compared conventionally grown tomatoes versus organically grown found that the growing method made a less overall difference than the actual variety of the tomatoes when looking at antioxidant capacity. While all tomatoes showed great antioxidant capacity the better varieties are: New Girl, Jet Star, Fantastic, and First Lady. Further research is needed, but these findings are interesting to say the least.
  • Researchers are only now starting to identify some of the phytonutrients in tomatoes. Several of the heart-health benefits  that come from tomatoes are: preventing atherosclerosis, lowering total cholesterol, lowering (bad) LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.  A couple of the phytonutrients in tomatoes that have these benefits are esculeoside, which is a glycoside (for you techie types) and also a flavanoid called chalconaringenin.  Another one they believe to have significant health benefit is 9-oxo-octadecadienoic acid a fatty acid.  Needless to say, you should put tomatoes on your heart-healthy list and stay tuned as the research catches up to our belief that tomatoes are great for you.

fresh beef tomatoes and basil leaves

After going through this list, I’ll stop looking at pale tomatoes as the less preferred choice. I’ll definitely keep them on my list of go-to fruits (or vegetables for you die-hard cooks) and not feel guilty about buying the hot-house (non-organic) variety.

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Excerpted from the soon to be released Christian Fatloss™ Program

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My Journey Alongside Yours: A fairly normal day along the path of weight loss for me.  I hit the mountain today and completed my 11-mile out-and-back mountain bike ride, even though it’s starting to get pretty warm here in Scottsdale, AZ.  It was 83 degrees F when I started my about 1 hours bike ride. I’m not complaining about the heat in any way, as some of my friends in Canada right now are seeing -1 degrees C and snow at the time of this writing. I feel blessed to live where I do and don’t even mind when it hits between 105 deg F and 115 deg F on a regular basis in the summer.

I finished out the night right on my calorie budget and am thankful to have the opportunity to share this journey with you. Thanks for joining me on your own Christian Fatloss™ Journey.

Don’t Forget: You’re an awesome Victory in Progress™!

I’m glad we are in this weight loss program together.  You’re often my motivation to keep on keeping on and I hope & pray that I am the same for you. Amen!

Dark Chocolate: God’s gift to you and me that cures what ails you!

Amazing Cures of Dark Chocolate!
Dark Chocolate: God’s Gift to you and me that cures what ails you

Yes, Dark Chocolate, and more importantly chocolate with a Cacao content of 72% or higher is not only good for you it can help prevent some pretty nasty ailments.

I’ve been eating Dark Chocolate for about 2 years now.  I was first turned on to it by Mark of Primal Blueprint fame, when he convinced me to give it and try it as a supplement to my diet, because it had so many benefits and was a nice replacement for this choco-holic who just quit his long-term sweet-addiction.

I started with 72% (and would recommend at least 70%), which today I’d say is a bit to sweet for me and a bit high in sugar. I slowly graduated up over time to an 86% Cacao (you can find it at Trader Joes if you have one close by) which is the highest I’ve been able to find.

I imagine if you ate cacao-nibs, you can increase the Cacao percentage, but I’ve not yet found a way to easily integrate those little guys into my diet.  I’ve tried them and the experience was a little like chewing on little wood bits that had a slight chocolate flavor.  I guess people who use them a lot use them in homemade shakes and smoothies. Evidently some people also throw them into savory dishes. Any way you can get them into your diet is a good thing and once you read all of the health benefits of Dark Chocolate I might have you convinced as well.

Dr Mark Hyman, in his great book Ultrametabolism recommends you eat between 1-3 ounces of dark chocolate everyday day.  I’d like to add, that when you do so, make sure that it is after a meal or eaten with some other lower glycemic foods to help minimize the glycemic load of the chocolate.  Even the very high cacao content chocolate has a pretty high level of sugar.

Another tip to keep in mind is that it’s very easy to go overboard on this super-food.  When you are going to eat dark chocolate ration out your 1-3 ounces and put away the rest.  You’ll be glad you did.  I know, speaking from experience, I’ve gone overboard on more than one occasion in the name of super-food consumption.

Here are just some of the benefits of Dark Chocolate:

  • Dark Chocolate contains healthy fats. Mostly monounsaturated and saturated fat, with very little polyunsaturated fat.  Most of the saturated fat is stearic acid widely know to have no bad effects on LDL cholesterol, so you don’t have to have any guilt to enjoy cacao fat.
  • Dark Chocolate is loaded with Polyphenols too. In particular flavanols. When it comes to polyphenols & antioxidant capacity, Dark Chocolate blows away any other super-food. The most studied polyphenol in cacao is epicatechin, a flavanol that is highly potent and potentially healthy for humans.
  • Dark Chocolate lowers your blood pressure too. Epidemiological studies consistently show that dark chocolate consumption is related with lower blood pressure readings.  One study even found that eating dark chocolate for 15 days straight, lowered blood pressure and insulin sensitivity in healthy subjects.
  • Cacao consumption has been proven to improve arterial flow of blood in smokers.
  • Dark Chocolate can reduce cardiovascular disease.
  • Dark Chocolate lowered insulin resistance in diabetic patients (in addition to lowering blood pressure).
  • Dark chocolate is good for folks who have a fatty liver (some of us who have been eating sugar in high doses all of our lives are in this camp). The chocolate can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation as well.
  • Dark chocolate can help increase our body’s natural defense against UV exposure.  In several studies recently it’s been proven that eating dark chocolate can increase our natural defense against the harmful affects of the sun by as much as double. So, you could stay out twice as long without sun-damage.

So, go eat some dark chocolate with dinner tonight.  Make sure it’s high in cacao (70%+) and low in sugar.  Eat it with your meal and feel good knowing you just took in some of the best tasting medicine on the planet.  Thank you God for the gift of Dark Chocolate.

So, what’s your favorite dark chocolate recipe? Have you tried 86% Cacao ye? Tell me about your experiences with Dark Chocolate below in the comments.

[MUST READ] The “Metabolic Winter” Hypothesis…

Metabolic Winter Hypothesis : A must read research paper
A must read for people into Paleo, Cold adaptation, Fasting, Whole Food Nutrition and the like.

Just released to me on his “Private” email list is an amazing article backed by 103 research studies & publications about metabolism, fasting, nutrition, fitness, and the rest of what’s important to you and me and our health.  A must read. Warning it is very technical and some of it may be tough to get through for the non-medical types.  I think the average person would find HUGE value in reading at least the ‘Putting it altogether” and “conclusion” sections. Let me know what you think in the comments…

P.S. I’ll be writing up my top take-aways from the Metabolic Winter and sharing them with you soon.  What’s your biggest ah-ha moment? Please let me know in the comments

Shared with permission of Ray Cronise, BS

Download Metabolic Winter Hypothesis for FREE here:

http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/met.2014.0027

Copyright © 2014 Thermogenex, All rights reserved.


 

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Try new activities for new muscle & weight loss gains!

Keep moving and keep growing
Make great gains by trying new things.

You are going to laugh at me likely when I tell you that today I am so sore that getting up out of a chair is very difficult and walking is impossible without a slight limp.  What terrible amount of exercise or activity was it that made this 43 year old fairly fit man so sore he can hardly walk?

I umpired a Majors Level Softball game for my 12 Year-old daughter.

Yep. Umpiring…

In hindsight if you look at the activity I was doing to Umpire the game I was either doing a movement very similar to a squat (you’d see in a gym) or and lunge (also a common gym movement).  I did it for every pitch of the 2 hours worth of Umpiring.  I estimate that I probably did about 150 – 300 repetitions of the movement with my full body weight.

To make things worse Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) which is what I am suffering from increases for activities and actions that involve long term muscle stress that elongates the muscle…kind of like a squat that is held or a lunge that is held for a few seconds. These are called eccentric contractions and are the most common cause of DOMS.

So, a little warning for you, when you try new activities there a few precautions you can take that will help prevent or reduce the amount of DOMS that you experience when you try new things.

  • Make sure that you stretch the muscles being used before and after the exercise or activity.
  • Make sure to stay hydrated before, during, and after.
  • Make sure to do a warm up of the movement using about 50% of the stress that you expect to see during the exercise.
  • Take recovery supplement(s) like L-Glutamine (5-10 grams) & Creatine Monohydrate (5-10 grams) immediately following the exercise and first thing in the morning the day after. I take both for a couple of days after, 2-3 times per day depending on how sore I am.

DOMS pain and soreness peaks at about 48 hours after the activity and slowly subsides over the days following.

Please don’t associate DOMS as a bad thing it is a sign that your muscles have had a small amount of damage to them and your body will grow the muscles stronger to adapt (the process known as hypertrophy).

And don’t use it as an excuse to not try new things frequently.  Changing things up is a prerequisite of a healthy lifestyle and keeps life (and exercise) from becoming boring.

I hope also that my story about Umpiring will also highlight the fact that even something like Umpiring, which on the surface doesn’t look like great exercise, can have a fairly fit guy so sore he can hardly get up out of a chair.  Always be trying new ways to keep your self moving.

Or another way to state it as a mantra to adopt “Always be moving!”.

Please share in the comments below your favorite activity and maybe an activity that you look forward to trying soon.

Be blessed and always keep moving…

In times of FAILURE get back in the saddle again!

Get back in the saddle toward your success!
In times of failure whether spiritual or weight loss or nutrition. Don’t focus on the failure.

Imagine for a moment that you are riding a horse…I know you may not yet have had the pleasure like I have, but you’ve likely seen plenty of folks on TV or online to at least get the idea.

Ok…so you’re galloping along (which is faster than trotting, but not a full out run and your enjoying the scenery.  The sun is shining and your surroundings are beautiful.  All you hear is the rhythmic sounds of your horse’s feet hitting the ground and the snort from your horse breathing.

All of a sudden you hit a tree branch and are knocked to the ground flat on your face.

Ouch!

Your horse being an awesome, owner-loving-horse (nothing like my last horse Malika) stops just a few dozen feet ahead of you and does what horses do…immediately starts grazing on some grass next to the trail.

I share this somewhat painful imagery to hammer home a point of getting back in the saddle.

So, what should I do if I’ve cheated on my weight loss nutrition plan, or I’ve missed my workout three days in a row, or I binged on Chocolate Cake & Ice Cream last night…whatever the personal “failure” it doesn’t matter.

So, in a sense you’ve lost some momentum somewhat like you just did on your imaginary horse. So, what?

The good news is that its’ only been a little while since you were riding the horse off into the fat loss sunset, before you decided to gracefully (on your own accord) dismount and take a break. again…Ouch!

In our Christian Fatloss Program (not yet released as of the time I’m posting this) I designed some breaks from the diet & exercise on purpose.  It’s helpful by design. It allows your body & mind a reset the system of sorts and help break up any thoughts of monotony.

So, partner, its time to saddle up and start back down the trail to your Spiritual & Physical Recovery.  Dust yourself off (get rid of any bad foods you’ve might of indulged in during your free/cheat days) pick yourself up (get ready to exercise & eat clean again) and mount up.

Some of my victories along my journey to lose weight
Celebrate your accomplishments on your fat loss journey

It’s much easier mounting this horse this time, than it was when you started, isn’t it? You’ve likely made some gains and had some small victories.  Allow yourself to celebrate them. You are a Victory In Progress.

Your new title: V.I.P.

Doesn’t that feel great?

Celebrate now…take a quick look down the road from where you came from and turn back down the road to a healthier happier You!

 

So, what changes have you made in your life so far that you can celebrate? Any diet or exercise changes? drop any pounds (or stones for my UK friends) that we can celebrate with you?  Please share in the comments below…

Breakfast, lunch, or dinner you’ll love this Samson-sized low calorie meal!

This recipe is great for high nutrient dense low-caloire meals
This recipe is great for high nutrient dense low-caloire meals

One of my favorite parts of Saturdays is that I take a break from my Intermittent Fasting.  I make sure that I not only eat breakfast, but I eat a Big Breakfast that any one would be proud of.

The overall plan of all of my meals if you haven’t already figured it out, is to eat only good fats, a ton of protein, and a ton of veggies.

One of the things that helps me do that on Saturday mornings is one of my favorite dishes (have to say my wife even likes it as long as I omit the mushrooms).

So, here’s the recipe and how to prepare it.  There are many variants as far as the veggies are concerned, so I generally use what I have on hand at the moment.  For me it typically consists of Zucchini (or yellow squash), purple onions (or shallots), green chiles, jalapenos, bell peppers, and some specific spices and of course Omega-3 eggs (cage free if I can get them).

Step 1) I set the pan to medium heat on our gas stove-top and throw about 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in it.  I use coconut oil for all of my cooking.  I stay away from Olive oil for cooking and generally only us it uncooked.  (the reason being is that olive oil and other oils tend to oxidize when they are heated…it changes their chemical make-up and they are no longer as good for you after you heat them).  Coconut Oil (especially high-heat coconut oil) isn’t as susceptible to heat damage (oxidation) compared to other oils and it has some very unique nutritional benefits that are great for you.

Eat Purple Onions for awesome health benefits
Purple onions have polyphenols & flavanoids. Antioxidant miracle veggies.

Step 2) Chop your hot chiles, jalapeno, onions (shallots) and throw them in first.  Cook for 5-7 minutes (constantly turning or tossing over the heat) or until they start to show some carmelization.  I do so with these guys first because the heat tends to knock of some of the spiciness of them.

Step 3) Throw in your zucchini & yellow squash…the sliced (or chopped) bell peppers and chopped celery.

Celery is great for your health
Celery’s components have been scientifically proven to kill cancer cells in a lab

Step 4) While the veggies are cooking throw in garlic powder, low-salt (or salt free) multi-spice, paprika, ground black pepper, and salt.  Sometimes I throw in yellow curry which has Tumeric in it and is highly nutritious.

Step 5) Once the veggies have reached your desired tenderness throw in 3-5 Omega-3 eggs and stir in until eggs are completely cooked and water has evaporated.

Step 6) Serve and Enjoy! Knowing you are feeding your body with some great fuel and signaling your body’s DNA to keep you healthy & strong.

Ingredients:

  • 1-2 zucchinis or yellow squashes
  • 1-2 green chiles
  • 1-2 jalapenos
  • 1/2 a purple onion
  • 2 stalks of celery
  • 1/2 purple onion (purple has a higher nutritional value) or equivalent amount of shallots
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic (to replace garlic powder if you have it)
  • 1 red/yellow/green bell pepper
  • 3-5 eggs
  • 1/2 tsp of Paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Power (if you don’t have fresh garlic)

How many calories in this dish? Well, the coconut oil is about 100 calories (minus what you lose to cook off). The eggs are about 70 calories each (I use 5 of them for 350 calories).  The zucchini and squash are about 20 calories each. Celery is 10 calories per stalk. After all is said and done I have a HUGE plate of food worth about 600 – 750 calories.  It’s so much food that I often give Diana half and still have a decent meal, but honestly…I most often eat the whole plate and am full for most of the day and half to force myself to eat lunch.

Please try this. I had it this morning for Breakfast.

You’ll love the ability to have a guilt-free pig-out-party and can feel good about feeding yourself full of an endless list of healthy nutrients.

If you do try it, please comment & share. I’d love to hear you feedback. Or please share your variation. I’m always trying news things and will give YOUR recipe a try.

Side note: If your are implementing Intermittent Fasting (like I did by only eating between 1:00pm – 7:00pm) this is a great way to get to fill yourself up with a relatively low number of high nutrient density foods and not feel hungry at all.

 

Will you try this? If  you have, what do you think? Easy huh?  Have any favorite low-calorie recipes to share with us? Please share your comments below…